1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to liquid propellant guns utilizing differential area pistons to provide continued or regenerative injection of a liquid propellant into the combustion chamber and, particularly, to such guns in which there are a plurality of coaxial elements, including at least one differential area piston, arranged so as to provide for relative action between elements as a means for controlling regenerative propellant injection.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An extensive summary of the prior art appears in the "Description of the Prior Art" of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,341,147 to R. E. Mayer. The patents to R. A. Jukes et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,138,990, June 30, 1964; D. P. Tassie, 4,023,463, May 17, 1977; and A. R. Graham, 4,050,349, Sept. 27, 1977; cited in that document and Mayers U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,147 itself are exemplary of that prior art. In general, the references cited show differential pressure pistons for forcing liquid propellant from a reservoir chamber into a combustion chamber responsive to combustion pressures. The most pertinent of the prior art cited to this disclosure are those in which a moving differential area piston cooperates with another member, e.g. the fixed bolt 45 in FIG. 4 of Mayer's U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,147, to control the flow rate or dispersion pattern or both of the propellant as it is pumped to the combustion chamber. The co-pending Applications cited are also pertinent because they disclose a reverse hollow piston arrangement also using a fill piston.